Television cabinet roll front



March 6, 1956 M. J. PIFER 2,737,649

TELEVISION CABINET ROLL FRONT Filed Dec. 1, 1954 INVENTOR MAR/0N d. P/FE/P BY W A ATTORNEY 2,737,649 TELEVISION CABINET ROLL mom Marion J. Pifer, Williamsville, N. Y., assignor to Sylvania Electric Products Inc., a corporation of Massachusetts Application December 1, 1954, Serial No. 472,288 4 Claims. (Cl. 340-367) This invention relates to cabinet closures, particularly to closures for the front of a television cabinet having a picture tube in its upper portion and a loud speaker therebelow.

It is an object of the invention to provide a simple closure, which shall in one normal position close olf substantially the entire front of the cabinet and in a second position expose the picture tube face to view while obstructing from view the loud speaker and yet permit the sound waves from the loud speaker to penetrate through the closure all whereby the closure serves the triple function of an obscuring means for the picture tube, a grill for the speaker and a replacement for the conventional grill and surrounding woodwork around the speaker, as well as a replacement for the conventional picture tube obscuring doors of a television cabinet.

Other objects will be made apparent after reading the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a television cabinet embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross section view therethrough showing the closure in a lower position.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the closure.

I Referring to the drawings more in detail, at there is disclosed a cabinet housing with a shelf 12 therein on which is mounted a television chassis 14. Also mounted within the lower portion of the cabinet in any suitable manner, as by gluing, is a vertical battle wall 16 with a central opening. This is mounted near the front face of the cabinet. Mounted on the back of the baflle wall is a speaker 18, with the speaker diaphragm cone opposite the opening and the flange of the speaker held to the wall 16 by conventional means.

At the front of the cabinet, above the shelf 12 and extending from the shelf to the underportion 22 of the top of the cabinet is a frame 24 and glass holding strip'26 between which the safety glass 28 is clamped in an inclined position. Behind this glass is the front face 30 of the picture tube and interposed between the glass and the picture tube is a dust shield 32. Tacked on the side walls of the cabinet, at the front thereof are two guide strips 34, 36 forming a way 38 therebetween. The rear strip 36 terminates short of the bottom of the cabinet about the level of the top of the base moulding strip 54. Control knobs 40 for the television set extend through the lower horizontal bar of frame 24 and terminate in a plane just short of the outer edges of strip 36.

Slidable within the ways is a tambour type of closure. This closure comprises a number of horizontal slats 42 of a thickness to freely slide in the ways and of a height approximately equal to twice the thickness although the proportions may vary. The slats are rectangular in cross-section but may have rounded edges, and extend across the front of the cabinet and into the ways. The slats are held together by decorative threads or cords 44 interwoven as illustrated, the upper ends of the cords any appreciable degree,

2,737,649 Patented lltlar. 6, 1956 being over a retaining strip 46 of wood or the like and the free lower ends of the cords being tied underneath the bottommostslat. The spacing. of slats and threads is such that while effective toobscure objects behind the tambour, the tambour does not interfere, in with the passage of sound waves therethrough.

Also slidable on. the ways a top: bar 48,. rectangular in cross-section. This top. bar is of a depth sufiicient to make the: same rigid against in a vertical plane.

'Fasrened to the undertaeeof top bar is the strip 46,

asby screws. This top bar is providedwith a finger hold 52 suitably affixed to the bar.

Thebar 48 is provided at eaclr of its ends with: a; spring pressed detent pin 56. The pins press against the sides of the cabinet in the ways 38. Arranged in the ways at the upper ends thereof is a pair of shallow depressions 66 of sufficient size and depth to catch and hold the bar 48 and the attached tambour covering in the upper position, against the action of gravity tending to move the closure downward. At a level below the control knobs but above the speaker level, the ways 38 are provided with recesses 58 to stop the downward movement of the tambour.

In normal operation the tambour is moved upwardly from the position shown in Fig. l to the picture tube obscuring or screening position. In this position both the picture tube face and the speaker are effectively hidden from view. On lowering of the bar 48, the tambour will fall by gravity downwardly of the ways and will pile up in the lower compartment of the cabinet and below the speaker. The stops 58 will operate to detain the bar 48 at the level shown in Fig. 2. In this lowered position the picture tube will be exposed to full view and the sound from the speaker will pass freely through the tambour.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

l. A cabinet having an open front substantially throughout its height, a picture tube in the upper portion of the cabinet, a speaker in the lower portion of the cabinet, vertical guide ways, one on each side of the cabinet at the front thereof, a tambour slidable in said ways the tambour being comprised of slats and threads sufficiently close together to prevent clearly seeing the face of the picture tube through the tambour and sufliciently loose to enable sound from the speaker to pass freely through the tambour, said tambour being of a length sufiicient so that in its uppermost position it will obscure the face of the picture tube and also the speaker and said tambour in a lowered position exposing the picture tube to view, while covering the front of the speaker and means for holding said tambour in said uppermost and lowered positions.

2. A cabinet having an open front, substantially throughout its height, a chassis with control knobs and a picture tube in the upper portion of the cabinet, a speaker in the lower portion of the cabinet, vertical guide ways, one on each side of the cabinet at the front thereof, a tambour slidable in said ways, the tambour being comprised of slats and threads sufficiently close together to prevent clearly seeing the face of the picture tube through the tambour and sufliciently loose to enable sound from the speaker to pass freely through the tambour, said tambour being of a length so that in its uppermost position it will obscure the face of the picture tube and said tambour also the speaker and in a lowered position exposing the picture tube to view, affording access to the control knobs and covering the front of the speaker and means for holding said tambour in said uppermost and lowered positions.

3. A cabinet having an open front substantially throughout its height, a picture tube in the upper portion of the cabinet the face of which is exposed through said front, a speaker in the lower portion of the cabinet, a tambour movable vertically from bottom to top ofthe cabinet, said tambour being comprised of slats and threads suffieiently close together to prevent clearly seeing the face of the picture tube through the tambour'and sufficiently looserto enable the sound from the speaker to pass freely through the tambour, said tambour being of a length so that in its upper position it will obscure both the face of the picture tube and the. speaker, and said tambour in a lowered position exposing the picture tube to view while covering the front of the speaker, and means for holding said tambour in said upper and lower positions.

4. A cabinet having an open front substantially throughout its height, .a picture-tube in the upper portion of the cabinet the face of which is exposed through said front, aspeaker in the lower portion of the cabinet, asheet movable vertically fromzbo'ttom' to top of the cabinet,

said sheet being comprisedof material with its component I parts sufliciently close together to prevent clearly seeing the face of the picture tube through the sheet and sufficiently loose to enable the sound from the speaker to pass freely through the sheet, said sheet being of a length so that in its upper position it will obscure both the face of the picture tube and the speaker, and said sheet in a lowered position exposing the picture tube to view while covering the front of the speaker. and means for holding said sheet in said upper and lowered positions.

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Mar. 4, 1940 

